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Will the Cabinet expansion work?

January 30, 2006 14:11 IST
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On Sunday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh inducted 19 new ministers in the first major expansion of his Council of Ministers since the United Progressive Alliance came to power in 2004.

The winners in the reshuffle are loyalists of Congress president Sonia Gandhi. Many of them are from the Rajya Sabha, and some of them have never contested elections. As many as 16 of the new ministers are first-time parliamentarians. Barring the JMM's Shibu Soren, all of them are from the Congress.

The rationale behind the expansion is to fill the vacancies in the Union Cabinet, and to give 'proper representation' to the states, the prime minister said. Yet, states like Jharkhand and Chhatisgarh do not find a place in the ministry.

Is this Dr Manmohan Singh's Dream Team? Will it be able to deliver on the expectations? Tell us!

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